Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-04-21

out, The king The kingp but knew that
lG was not SO, for Imotu, my brother, was the
elder or the twins, and was the lawful king.
And just as the tumult was at its height
Imotu the king, though he was very sick,
came crawling from his hut holding his wife
by the hand, and followed by his little son
Ignosi (the lightningl.
What is the noiSe@ he asked: why cry
We 1.-THE king the king?"
Then Twala, his own brother, born OF
the same woman and in the same hour, ran
to hin, and taking him by the hair stabbed
him through the heart with his knife. And
the people being tickle, and ever ready to
worship the rising sun, cIapped their hands
and cried, 'Twala IS king! Now we know
that Twala is kingr"
'And what became Of his wife and her
! son lgnosi? Did Twala kill them, toog'
NAY, nay lord When she saw that her
lord was dead she seized the child with a
cry, and ran away. Two days afterward she
came TO liraai very hungry, and none
would give her milk or food, now that her
lord the king was dead, for all men hate the
| unfortunate. But at Hight-fall little child,
a girl, crept out and brought her to eat, and
she blessed the child, and went on toward
the mountains with her boy before the sun
for none have seen her since, Dor the child
IgnosL"
s'Then if this child Ignosi had lived he
would be the true king of the Kukuana peo-
ple?"
THAT is so, my lord; the sacred snake is
round his middle. Ii he Ives he is the king;
but alas! he is long dead"
''See, my lord" and he pointed to vast
| IL
| which was in its turn surrounded by great
ditch, that lay on the plain beneath us.
| THAT is the kraal where the wife OF Imotu
was last seen with the child Ignos 1t is
| there that we shall sleep tonight if, in
Decd" he added, doubtfully my lords
sleep at all upon this EARTH"
'When we are among the Kukuanas, my
friend Infadoos, we do as the Kukuanas
do" said, majestically: and turned round
suddenly to address Good, who was tramp
ing along sullenly behind his mind fully oc-
cupied with unsatisfactory attempts to keep
his flannel shirt from tapping up in the
| evening breeze, and to my establishment but
| ted into Umbopa, who was walking along
| Immediately behind me, and had very evil
| IDENTITY been listening with the greatest in
| tereSt to my conversation with InfadooS
| The expression On his face was most curl
Gus, and gave the idea of a man who was
| struggling with partial success to bring
something long ago forgotten back into his
| mind.
| All this while we had been pressing on at
| agOOd rate down toward the undulating
| plain beneath. The mountains we had
| crossed now loomed high above us, ard
| Sbebas Breasts were mOdestly yelled in
| diaphanouS Wreaths of mist, AS we went
| on the country grew more and more lovely.
! The vegetation was luXupant; without be-
ing tropical, the sun was bright and warm,
| but not burning, and gracious breeze blew
softly along the odorous slopes Of the noun
tains. And, indeed, this new land was little
less than an earthly paradise; in beauty, in
| natural wealth. and in climate l have never
seen its like. The Transvaal is a fine coun-
try but it is nothing to Kukuanaland.
So soon as we started InfadooS had dis
! patched runner ca to warn the people of
the kraal, which, by the way, was in his
military command, Of Qua arrival This man
had departed at an extraordinary speed,
which InfadooS had informed me he would
keep up ali the way, as running was an ex-
ercise much practiced among his people.
The result of this message now became
apparent When we got within two miles CT
the kraal we could see that company after
company of men was issuing from its gates
and marching toward us.
Sir Henry laid his hand upon my arm, and
remarked that it looked as though we were
going to meet with q warm reception. Some
thing in his tone attracted Infadoos' atten-
| ton.
Let not my lords be afraid" he said has
tify, ''fOr in my breast there dweIlS no guile.
Il
and comes out by my orders to greet YOU"
[ nodded easily, though L was not quite
easy in my mind
About half mile from the gates of the
kraal was a long stretch Of rising ground
sloping gently upward from the road and on
this the companies formed MP 1t was a
splendid sight to see them. each company
about three hundred strong, charging swiftly
up the slope, with flashing spears and way
| ing plumeS, and taking their appointed
place. By the time we came to the slope
twelve such companies, or in all three thou
sand six hundred men, had passed out and
taken up their positions along the road.
Presently we came to the first company,
and were able to gaze in establishment on the
most magnificent set of men | have ever
seen. They were all men of mature age,
mostly veterans of about forty, and not one
OF them was under six feet in height whilst
many were six feet three or four. They wore
| upon their heads heavy black plumes of Sa-
caboOla feathers, like those which adorned
our guides. Round their waists and also
beneath the right knee were bound circlets
OF white ox-tails and in their left hands
were round shields about twenty inches
across. These shields were very curious
| The frame work consisted of an iron plate
beaten out thin over which was stretched
milk-white OX-hide. The weapons that
each man bore were simple, but most
effective, consisting of q short and very
heavy two-elged spear with q wooden shaft,
the blade being about six inches across at
the widest part. These spears were not
used for throwing, but like the Zulu ''bang-
wan" or Stabbing assegai, were for close
quarters only, when the wound inflicted by
| them was terrible. In addition to these
bangwanS each man also carried three large
and heavy knives, each knife weighing
about two pounds. One knife was fixed in
| the ox-tail girdle, and the other two at the
| back of tie round shield. These knives.
| Which are called sstOllaS'i by the Kuluapac